Dr. Bess Williamson is a historian of design and material culture and Professor of Art History, Theory, and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is the author of Accessible America: A History of Disability and Design (2019) and co-editor of Making Disability Modern: Design Histories (2020). Her work explores diverse histories and practices of design that extend expertise to users and communities, and challenge designers to address access and power in their work. For 2022-2023, she is director of SAIC's Art History MA programs.

Johnna (she/her) is a registered architect and specializes in sustainable design and consulting. Leading the green building efforts for corporations, local governments, schools and universities, and research labs, she is often forging new paths in sustainability, including living buildings, net zero energy projects, and a long list of "firsts" — first project to re-use non-potable water in New Orleans, first LEED project for DeKalb County Schools in Georgia, first net zero energy project for the City of Columbus, and first WELL project for The Ohio State University. She appreciates a good challenge and helping people get comfortable with unfamiliar ideas. Her work at the intersection of sustainability and accessibility began during a tour of a deep green building with a group of disabled participants, who discovered only stair access. This event sparked her article, “The Politics of Stairs,” which appeared in the journal Design Equilibrium and was reprinted in the Norton Field Guide to Writing. She has spoken on the topic of sustainability and accessibility at conferences both in the U.S. and abroad. Johnna is passionate about regenerative design, approaches the built environment as a foundation for well-being, and posits climate change as a social justice issue. Johnna currently works on the Sustainability & Resilience team for Parsons, and resides in Columbus, Ohio.

Erin Reilly-Sanders (she/they) is both a practicing architect and scholar. Her work at Schooley Caldwell Architects in Columbus, Ohio focuses on civic architecture such as the new Hockings Hills State Park Lodge for Ohio Department of Natural Resources, higher education work at The Ohio State University, and new and renovated buildings for Columbus Metropolitan Library. As a senior associate, she mentors many of the junior architects and technical staff within the firm, setting up technical training and registration exam support. Dr. Reilly-Sanders also serves on the Board of Directors and the Committee on the Environment of the Columbus Chapter of American Institute of Architects. As a scholar, she has a PhD in Education (Literature for Children and Young Adults) from the Ohio State University. Blending Architecture and Education, Dr. Reilly-Sanders often focuses on the visual aspects of literature. Her dissertation exemplified this with mixed-methods research into the visual motif of the house and its cultural impacts upon the reader. Dr. Reilly-Sanders is one of the current editors of Charlotte Huck's Children's Literature: A Brief Guide, a leading children’s literature textbook since 1961. For Autumn 2022, she is teaching Introduction to Children’s Literature at The Ohio State University’s Columbus Campus.

Aimée Moore is a Senior Lecturer at the Knowlton School where she has taught since 1999 and is the recipient of the 2016 OSU Provost Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer. She teaches courses on Global Architecture, Sustainability in Architecture, architecture in Columbus, OH and education abroad programs to Italy, The Netherlands, London, Barcelona, Rio de Janeiro and Santiago, Chilé. Through her varied classes she develops new understandings of the built environment, particularly through drawing. She incorporates iPads to explore drawing digitally through classes she teaches, and has presented at conferences regarding active learning and equity using iPads. Her research focuses on architecture in Columbus Ohio and Latin American architecture developed through various seminars, education abroad trips and conference presentations. She is Chair for the Committee on Design at AIA Columbus and actively engaged in learning communities at Ohio State University where she expands her perspectives on teaching. She received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and Master of Architecture degree from The Ohio State University Knowlton School.

Elisandra Garcia is an activist, designer, and educator from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Elisandra is currently a Visiting Professor of Architecture at the Portland Architecture Program, for the University of Oregon. As the Design for Spatial Justice Fellow, Garcia has created the Urban Violence Laboratory PDX, where graduate students craft an architectural thesis proposal driven by social and environmental justice prompts, collectively and individually responding to an Urban Violence issue in Portland. Students work closely with community organizations and experts in selected topics of investigation. Being born and raised in the border town of Juárez, Mexico, amplified her curiosity and drive to understand urban violence, its consequences, and possible solutions. Her creative practice, Eli Studio focuses on small scale design interventions created by grassroots activism. To make this possible, Eli Studio curates and directs art, fashion, music, and dance shows in benefit of community groups and non-profit organizations who are courageously working to stabilize cities and communities under severe violent environments. These public engagements are designed as exhibitions to disseminate the research while providing platforms for artists, activists, and small businesses. Garcia believes in the power of personal narrative, academia, and activism in the search for equity. Elisandra is also a Projector Designer and Director of Engagement and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at El Dorado Architects in Portland. Some of her currents are the Parrott Creek Youth At Risk Transitional Housing Campus and the Albina Vision Trust Masterplan Phase 2.

Neeraj Bhatia is a licensed architect and urban designer from Toronto, Canada. His work resides at the intersection of politics, infrastructure, and urbanism. He is an Associate Professor at the California College of the Arts where he also co-directs the urbanism research lab, The Urban Works Agency. Bhatia has also held teaching positions at UC Berkeley as the Visiting Esherick Professor, UT Arlington as the Visiting Ralph Hawkins Professor, Cornell University, Rice University, and the University of Toronto. Neeraj is also founder of The Open Workshop, a transcalar design-research office examining the negotiation between architecture and its territorial environment. In 2016, The Open Workshop was awarded the Architectural League Young Architects Prize.